Tag: middle east

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Daily Pook-Emu Bee links ceased being daily for the last week and change, but perhaps it is back with two straight editions to start the new week.

1 | Calibre 9.15 E-Book Manager Introduces “Create Your Own Adventure” Writing Game (Marcus Nestor for 9 To 5 Linux. Sep. 28, 2026.)
While I disable (or don’t enable) AI functionality in Calibre, I opined last year that some of the integrations were relatively inoffensive and in line with Calibre’s purpose. I’d say I fear Calibre is losing the plot (get it!?) with this one. However, it is not enabled by default and the new release includes some interesting normal features, so as long as the plot is lost on the side…

2 | NYC refuses to remove massive hornets’ nest from Queens tree, tells terrified residents to foot the bill (Rich Calder for the New York Post. Sep. 19, 2026.)
If (heaven forbid) this situation goes sideways after the NYC Parks Department both refused to step in and warned that it would block any efforts by the residents to remedy, NYC (i.e., taxpayers) will most certainly foot the bill.

3 | Ancient bronze bracelets found in Uzbekistan (The History Blog. Sep. 16, 2026.)
You never know what you’ll dig up in your yard in Uzbekistan.

4 | Three Patrons, Three Clients: The Mecca Alliance No One Owns (Ahmed Saber Abbas for War on the Rocks. Sep. 15, 2026.)
If only Saudi Arabia had some alternative proposal in front of it.

5 | Nearly one third of college-age ‘BORG’ drinkers report blacking out: New study (W.B. Kagan for EurekAlert! Sep. 15, 2026.)
This ends with a suggestion for parents to discuss with their college-age students “whether to attend a BORG event, and if one does attend, whether to bring a BORG beverage and how much (if any alcohol to put in the beverage.” That’s great but let’s try cutting this off at “event” and making the answer “no.”

6 | Holdout Lindsay Clancy Juror Breaks Silence, Says “Activists” Wanted “Not Guilty” on Day 1 (Steven Ertelt for Life Site. Sep. 16, 2026.)
He shouldn’t have had to break silence, but now that he has been left with no choice, I tip my hat to Mr. Michael P. Desronvil for having the courage to do the right thing.

7 | Scientists Create a New Form of Ice at More Than 2,000 °C (Michelle Starr for Science Alert. Sep. 9, 2026.)
I don’t know. Our current ice works well enough. The scientists should focus on something more practical.

8 | The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Rawdawg (Lauren Peck for Austin Chronicle. Nov. 27, 2024.)
That this running club was obnoxious enough to be cracked down on in Austin sounds like an accomplishment (and well-deserved as someone who finds our less noisy running clubs here in New York City annoying enough as is).

9 | I saw the movie that Warner tried to delete: ‘Coyote vs. Acme’ (Bryan Preston for Fox Business. Sep. 12, 2026.)
While my 16+ year streak of not being in a movie theater continues, this does sound like a fun movie and one that was well-worth saving.

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Quoted The Iran War Has Finally Exposed Japan's Achilles Heel by Alex Kimani (OilPrice.com)
Prior to the conflict, Japan imported over 90% of its crude oil and about 11% of its LNG from the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia and UAE its top suppliers ... The de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran and its allies has effectively blocked the route for ~95% of Japan’s Middle Eastern oil...

Access to natural resources has long been a challenge for Japan (see e.g., World War II). According to a report by Alex Kimani for OilPrice.com, prior to the commencement of Operation Epic Fury, Japan was importing 90% of its oil from the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and the UAE its top suppliers). Moreover, approximately 95% of Japan’s oil imports passed through the Strait of Hormuz. The report notes that Japan is looking to diversify its oil supplies:

Japan is reaching out to suppliers in Central Asia, South America and Canada while negotiations with Venezuela, a former supplier, are currently underway. Following high-level discussions with the U.S., Japan is exploring a joint effort to boost Alaskan oil production. Japan plans to invest in Alaskan oil infrastructure, including investing in loading facilities to facilitate the transport of Alaskan crude, as part of a broader $550 billion bilateral investment program between the two countries. Oil from Alaska takes about 12 days to reach Japan, compared to over 20 days from the Middle East.

Sounds promising.

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Quoted FROM PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP by Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) (Truth Social)
WE GOT HIM! My fellow Americans, over the past several hours, the United States Military pulled off one of the most daring Search and Rescue Operations in U.S. History, for one of our incredible Crew Member Officers, who also happens to be a highly respected Colonel, and who I am thrilled to let you know is now SAFE and SOUND! This brave Warrior was behind enemy lines in the treacherous mountains of Iran, being hunted down by our enemies, who were getting closer and closer by the hour, but was never truly alone because his Commander in Chief, Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and fellow Warfighters were monitoring his location 24 hours a day, and diligently planning for his rescue. At my direction, the U.S. Military sent dozens of aircraft, armed with the most lethal weapons in the World, to retrieve him. He sustained injuries, but he will be just fine. This miraculous Search and Rescue Operation comes in addition to a successful rescue of another brave Pilot, yesterday, which we did not confirm, because we did not want to jeopardize our second rescue operation. This is the first time in military memory that two U.S. Pilots have been rescued, separately, deep in Enemy Territory. WE WILL NEVER LEAVE AN AMERICAN WARFIGHTER BEHIND! The fact that we were able to pull off both of these operations, without a SINGLE American killed, or even wounded, just proves once again, that we have achieved overwhelming Air Dominance and Superiority over the Iranian skies. This is a moment that ALL Americans, Republican, Democrat, and everyone else, should be proud of and united around. We truly have the best, most professional, and lethal Military in the History of the World. GOD BLESS AMERICA, GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS, AND HAPPY EASTER TO ALL!

We welcome Easter with the remarkable news that U.S. Special Operations forces successfully extracted the second airman (a Colonel, according to President Trump) who had been shot down over Iran on Thursday (see report in the New York Post). I was thinking about the ongoing war and search-and-rescue effort when I shared in our newsletter an Easter account from a sailor in World War II.

To quote President Trump (without caps, I can’t do the all caps): “God bless America, God bless our troops, and happy Easter to all!”

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News stories about Saudi Arabian government policy almost always reference Mohammad bin Salman, who serves as Crown Prince and Prime Minister. However, while Mr. bin Salman may be the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, he is not the de jure ruler. That honor goes to his father, King Salman. King Salman has ruled since January 23, 2015, and is now 89 years old. He succeeded many brothers and half brothers, who have ruled Saudi Arabia continuously since their father died in 1953. It has occurred to me we do not hear much about King Salman these days, but a report in today’s Semafor Gulf newsletter offered a sign of life:

King Salman removed Talal bin Abdullah Bin Turki al Otaibi as assistant minister of defense and Mohammed bin Hamad Al Madhi as president of General Organisation of Military Industries, which was involved in localizing defense procurement. The Royal Court also announced that Ghassan bin Abdul Rahman Al Shibl was removed as advisor at the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers. No replacements were announced.

Of course, assuming arguendo that the Crown Prince is calling the shots in the King’s name, this update does little to alter the current perception that the Crown Prince is in fact the de jure ruler of Saudi Arabia.

Speaking of no-replacements, I read an interesting article a few months ago about how Saudi Arabia has no Deputy Crown Prince, who would be third-in-line to the throne.

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The following quote comes from Jonathan Sacerdoti’s Israel’s triumphant response to 7 October, published in The Spectator on October 7, 2024:

Much of the concern surrounding Israel’s actions in the last year was not genuine, but a veiled excuse to criticise the state for defending itself. Critics lamented that Israel might sacrifice global goodwill in its pursuit of victory, but these criticisms are superficial and often placate those who have long sought to undermine Israel’s legitimacy. The notion that Israel should refrain from defending itself to preserve its reputation overlooks a critical reality: a nation’s first responsibility is its own survival, not global approval.

I could not have said it better myself. The essay, which discusses Israel’s national interest and the importance of deterrence in the specific context of surving in the Middle East (and especially as surving as a Jewish state in the Middle East) is worth reading in full.

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Sometimes good articles have silly headlines. One such example is a September 25, 2024 piece on Long War Journal titled The Houthis have challenged the Rules-Based International System and must be defeated. I agree that the Houthis, an Islamist Iranian proxy currently in control of much of Yemen, must be defeated. But I do not think they must be defeated because they are challenging some abstract rules-based international system. My concerns are more prudential. They should be defeated because they are currently using Iranian missiles to do remarkable damage to international shipping, occasionally firing them at Israel, and have within the last few years hit Saudi Arabian oil facilities. As a general matter, defeating violent Islamist Iranian proxies is a good thing without appealing to end of history speak. Of course, the article itself largely agrees, notwithstanding the vague headline.